It is a tragedy when lives are lost in combat. It is even more tragic when soldiers are killed by forces originating from their own army. The present invention attempts to prevent such tragedies from occurring. The invention creates a system of communication for combat troops that enables them to locate and identify friendly forces. The invention also warns troops that they are in a dangerous location because of an imminent military action. The invention makes use of advanced expert system, fuzzy logic, GPS satellite location technology, radar, lidar battle field communication systems.
Several prior art patents address different aspects of friend or foe identification systems. For example, it is known to provide a community of aircraft with a tactical navigation and communication system. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,313.
It is also known to selectively distribute generally broadcasted information based upon location. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,245.
It is also known to create a paging or messaging system using GPS satellites. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,363.
It is also known to create a sighting system for helicopter aircraft. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,865.
It is also known to analyze images using optical correlation and opto-electronic feedback. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,472.
It is also known to use a lidar system from an aircraft. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,401.
It is also known to image a scene having targets via a laser scanner. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,164.
It is also known to detect a target within a scene using visual radar sensors. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,386.
It is also known to perform optical signal processing including target recognition and filtering. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,595.
It is also known to detect and recognize objects by video image means. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,435.
It is also known to detect missiles using a medium wave infrared sensor or TV sensor. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,176.
It is also known to detect targets using vision systems. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,297.
It is also known to precisely deliver weapons using synthetic array radar. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,709.
It is also known to remotely guide cannon-launched projectiles. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,602.
It is also known precisely guide aircraft-launched bombs via GPS technology. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,947.
It is also known to create an all weather target detection and ranging system which does not actively transmit detectable radio pulses or waves. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,126.
It is also known to create a three dimensional millimeter wave tracking and guidance system. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,587.
It is also known to create an automatic target acquisition and tracking system for a focal plane array seeker. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,142.
It is also known to guide a vehicle to a target using the global positioning system. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,105.
It is also known to link global positioning satellites and missile communication systems. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,454.
It is also known to accurately determine the location of a target by an observer that is spaced apart from the object via the use of a satellite positioning system. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,568,152; 4,949,089.
It is also known to create a self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,994.
It is also known to aim artillery with GPS navstar. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,245.
It is also known to create a passive ranging system through a global positioning system. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,485.
It is also known to precisely target and deliver guided weapons by determining the GPS locations of aircraft and targets. See, e.g., European Patent No. 0 583 972 A1.
It is also known to create an apparatus and method for providing pointing information. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,293.
All of the above mentioned patents are incorporated by reference herein. However, none of the above mentioned patents disclose a system and method for detecting the friend or foe status of a military force. On the other hand, some systems and methods for detecting friend or foe status of a military force do exist in the prior art.
For example, it is also known to identify military forces as a friend or a foe. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,287. U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,287 does not, however, use GPS technology to accurately locate and determine friend or foe status. Furthermore, it is also known to determine friend or foe status of military forces using lasers and coded words. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,814,769 and 4,837,575. However, neither of these patents use GPS technology to accurately locate and determine friend or foe status of military forces. Additionally, it is also known to determine friend or foe status of military forces by using identification codes that are transmitted between an interrogator and responder. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,176. U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,176 also does not, however, use GPS technology to accurately locate and determine friend or foe status of military forces. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,280,287, 4,814,769, 4,837,575, 4,862,176 are incorporated by reference herein.
None of the prior art approaches use GPS technology to accurately locate and determine friend or foe status of military forces. Furthermore, none of the prior art approaches use expert systems or fuzzy logic to provide recommendations for execution of military actions. Also, none of the prior art approaches disclose or teach a combination system and method for determining friend or foe status of military forces and recommending execution of military actions. Importantly, none of these prior art approaches to teach a system or method for identifying the presence of friendly forces that may be harmed by firing without disclosing the exact location of those friendly forces.